According to CNN, a male sperm whale died on Seilebost beach, Harris Island, Scotland last week. said Dan Parry, manager of the social networking site Facebook whose goal is to clean up nearby Luskentyre beach.

After people discovered the 20-tonne stranded fish, staff from the Scottish Marine Animal Service (SMASS) – an agency specializing in collecting data on stranded marine animals in Scotland – examine and discover a “huge mountain of trash” in the belly of a sperm whale.

The circular lump of trash weighs up to 100kg, most likely thrown into the sea by both boats at sea and people on land, SMASS said. Inside the garbage were pieces of fishing nets, plastic cups and pipes.

A portion of the 100kg block of garbage turns into clumps in the sperm whale’s stomach.

SMASS did not find evidence of the garbage blocking the fish’s digestive tract, but it is possible that the garbage was one of the reasons why the animal became stranded.

“The amount of plastic waste in the sperm whale’s stomach is huge, very terrible, damaging the animal’s digestive system. This once again rings the alarm bell about how careless dumping of trash into the sea affects marine life.”

The sperm whale carcass weighs 20 tons so there is no way to move it. Local people had to dig a grave right on the beach, with the support of the coast guard and local council on the island.

Parry said he walks along the beach every day and sees trash every day. “Trash scattered throughout the ocean is everyone’s problem. The fishing industry needs to do better and we must do more. Witnessing this scene makes me really sad, with the living environment becoming more and more polluted.”